Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

Sports Business

Sports Biz: Introducing FANZO to USA

by

NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – FANZO, the tech platform that links brands, rights holders and broadcasters with fans who aren’t watching games in arenas or stadiums, announced that it will begin partnerships in North America after test-runs and scaling in Europe and the Pacific Rim. The new tech effort will support the millions of fans following the FIFA World Cup, being staged in North America this summer.

Embed from Getty Images

The successful proof of concept came after multiple executions in the United Kingdom, continental Europe and Australasia and is backed by a $30 million investment in their product which attempts to solve the age-old issue of sports rights fragmentation and audience measurement in out-of-home premises. The FANZO platform enables digital activation with fans at a national scale, wherever they are watching sports in or out of home.

Trusted by 47,000 partner venues worldwide, and used by six million sports fans last year outside North America, FANZO counts properties ranging from TNT Sports to World Rugby as partners.

“Until now, reliably engaging the massive out-of-home audience has been impossible and has proved a hindrance to the commercial growth of sports as rights continue to fragment across different channels and platforms. FANZO has worked with global partners to solve this critical issue – simplifying broadcast for venues and helping fans watch games socially – opening up new possibilities for commercial growth in North America”, said FANZO co-founder Leo MacLehose.

“Our mission is simple. We believe that sports experienced alone is meaningless. So we’ve built a digital platform that brings fans together to create unforgettable sporting memories in the world’s best physical locations. Once there, our tech enables brands, rights holders and broadcasters to elevate the experience of watching sports in the most authentic local community spaces – restaurants and bars,” he said.

“Maximising the profitability our commercial subscribers see from sport is central to what we do. But we recognise the challenges that operators face when managing every aspect of their venues – not least pouring pints and delivering great hospitality experiences to guests”, said Alasdair Collis, Vice President, TNT Sports Business. “Since partnering with FANZO to create a new suite of automated digital marketing tools, we’re proud to offer TNT Sports Social venues compelling ways to grow their visibility online, drive loyalty and incremental footfall for live sports without adding to their daily to-do list.”

How FANZO Problem Solves For Every Side Of The Sports Market

Fans use FANZO to find great out-of-home venues nearby that are definitely showing their game on TV. In a sports market so convoluted that senators are calling in antitrust reviews, FANZO’s market-leading tech solves a major pain point for fans who just want to watch their team.

Commercial venues use FANZO’s B2B SaaS toolkit to market live sports online, generate new business from fans looking to watch sports socially nearby, whilst saving hours per week on digital promotion.

From quickly reviewing and updating schedules across multiple broadcasters to automating promotion with bespoke sports assets across social media.

Broadcasters include FANZO as part of their commercial package to venues to win new business, promising increased footfall and best-in-class marketing automation.

These tools reduce subscription churn by ensuring venues make the most of their sports content, increasing revenue per customer by upselling additional features and premium listings, whilst leveraging unique fixture data and insights to ensure long-term success over local rivals.

Brands use FANZO to impact behaviour throughout the out-of-home sports fan journey. Multiple digital touchpoints build awareness and consideration by ensuring fans choose to watch games in venues where certain products are sold.

From there, digital gamification rewards fans with real-world offers and prizes they can claim in-venue via FANZO’s mobile vouchering, helping brands sample new products, understand rate of sale and measure the impact of longer-term community-building efforts.

McGrady Takes Next Step to Build OBL

by

ORLANDO – OBL (Ones Basketball League) announced the re-envisioning of its premier 1×1 basketball league founded by basketball Hall of Famer and entrepreneur Tracy McGrady and now backed by a multi-million dollar growth capital investment by Next Gen Sports. “OBL: Battle of the Cities” will take an expanded version of the original OBL, with elite one-on-one athletes bringing their own vision, culture and prestige tied to the city in which they were raised, played basketball or now call home. Each city-based team will have a three man roster, comprised of players who best reflect the tradition and basketball culture of the city the team represents, hand selected by the Owners/GMs. “OBL: Battle of the Cities” will take place over multiple weeks in Orlando, Florida, where McGrady was raised playing 1×1 himself, from May 15 to June 30, with teams competing for the swagger, pride, and identity of every city represented.

Potential participants can still submit information at https://oblhoops.com/

“The way we’re building this version of OBL, it’s not just about skill, it’s about toughness, personality and authenticity. Every team and every player is bringing their own story and their own energy to the game,” McGrady said. “We’re also looking forward to the legends stepping in to help shape these teams.

“We’ve got some of the most respected voices in basketball, media and entertainment getting involved and people who really understand the culture of the game. Together we’re building something that goes way beyond just one-on-one basketball.”

In addition to McGrady’s leadership, each city-based team will be led by their celebrity team owner/GM who will select the very best 1×1 hoopers to represent each city.

The cities and coaches include:

  1. Team Orlando – Vince Carter, NBA Hall of Famer
  2. Team Washington, DC – Quinn Cook, two-time NBA Champion
  3. Team Miami – Tim Hardaway Sr., five-time NBA All-Star
  4. Team New York – Jadakiss, recording star and basketball insider
  5. Team Chicago – Larenz Tate, actor, film producer, basketball aficionado
  6. Team Raleigh – John Wall, five-time NBA All-Star
  7. Team Atlanta – Stay Tuned
  8. Team Baltimore – Stay Tuned

“We are honored, humbled and couldn’t be more proud to be able to work with McGrady and the roster of new team owners and GMs to bring the OBL to unforeseen heights,”  said Heath Freeman, Managing Partner, Next Gen Sports, and Chairman of OBL.

OBL will host a multi-week season where eight initial cities will field teams featuring hoopers who fit the criteria of embodying the heart and essence of their respective cities, bringing a unique and dynamic aspect to their representation. Cities battle for pride and prize, each sending out one player at a time in 1-on-1 matchups. Thrilling, quick games that keep audiences on the edge of their seat. The production will feature intense game-play, as well as a deeper look into player backgrounds and real individual stories centering on highlighting players’ talent and authenticity.

MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conf ’26

by

By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – For a forward-looking group of MIT mathematicians, scientists, data-divers, sports analysts and masters of business candidates, there’s quite a bit of reminiscing done each year when the annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference (SSAC) tips-off each March, here at The Seaport in Boston. Looking backwards to find opportunities going forward is not a bad thing, so let’s look at the typical pontifications of veteran SSAC attendees:

  1. There’s the “I was there when it started group.” That’s a reference to a very small handful (136 people) of MBA candidates who were on hand for the inaugural 2006 SSAC, launched by Jessica Gelman and Daryl Morey, and staged in classrooms and common space on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.
  2. There’s a group, called “the visionaries” by Gelman. Together with ESPN’s buy-in and the inevitable desire for growth, a group of sports industry icons, media, luminaries and even the President of the United States of America got the place jumping over the massive growth periods for the conference – call it 2009-present.
  3. ESPN’s commitment coincided with massive participation by the sports network’s talent, including executives like John Walsh, John Kosner, and Marie Donoghue, along with columnists and writers such as Bill Simmons, Jackie MacMullan, Marc Stein, John Hollinger, and Henry Abbott. The influx of ESPNers improved the conference make up, including everything from moderating panels to in-depth interviews conducted on stage.
  4. It was Simmons who tagged the conference Dork-a-Palooza and the moniker was seconded by Mark Cuban, entrepreneur and former owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks who relished in the vibes of analytics. The Dork has out-paced the lifers, so maybe Dork-a-Palooza is an expression to forever be retired from this column.
  5. Add Bill James (Society for American Baseball Research, aka SABR), Michael Lewis (Moneyball), Nate Silver(writer/analyst at Baseball Prospectus and later the founder of political online site FiveThirtyEight), and Jonathan Kraft (President of the New England Patriots, an early investor in Boston-based Draft Kings fantasy sports/gambling site), and you were looking at the “the growth stage.”
  6. By the time 2014 rolled around, we were treated to an amazing “meeting of the minds” when author Malcolm Gladwell sat down to interview NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. The SSAC had hit the big time, unless you think a panel with President Barack Obama might top the Gladwell-Silver “above the title” flick.
  7. Yes, while Obama was visiting his oldest daughter, Malia, at Harvard University, he stopped by for an “off the record” chat with conference co-founders Gelman and Morey. (How could you expect them to delegate that interview to Bill Simmons)? – That might been the zenith for the once quiet, quaint sports analytics conference.

Along the way, the frequent complaint was whether the team owners, general managers and coaches would ever respect the analytics side of the equation enough to incorporate the number crunching into the strategy. That question was answered emphatically, especially in baseball and basketball as along came the relief pitchers and along came Golden State’s Steph Curry and the three-point field goal barrage that literally changed Dr. Naismith’s game.

If you were paying attention, the likes of Shane Battier, Sue Bird, Elton Brand, JJ Reddick, Steve Kerr, or Steve Nash, were there to tell you about the changing games, as were coaches like Mike D’Antoni, Mike Brown, Dave Joerger, David Fizdale and a host of team GMs and basketball operations gurus to map out the strategies. Reddick even focused on the jobs of former players who were plumbers or firemen.

Panel discussions delved into everything from improvements in the NBA refereeing systems to a total overhaul of the NBA’s schedule-making – an undertaking when all the great ideas were plugged into the state-of-the-art computers to find out it would only take 20+ years for the program to run and spit-out the perfect schedule for the games to be played, starting some seven months later.

Whether you look at it as good news or bad news, 2,500 participants from 31 countries, 630 different organizations, and representatives from over 80 teams and leagues will come together for the 20th edition of the MIT SSAC ‘26 which starts tomorrow morning at 8:30am with Opening Remarks by Gelman and Morey in a packed “Bill James Room” at the Seaport.

Among the highlights this year at the 2026 SSAC:

  • ESPN and Draft Kings Reshape Sports Betting for the Fan – Discussion with Stephen A. Smith, Kevin Neghandi and Burke Magnus of ESPN along with Draft Kings CEO Jason Robins.
  • What Six Years of AI Taught Us – SeatGeek’s Derek Zhou
  • The Next Play – AI’s Impact on Emerging Sports
  • A Conversation with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, led by Sue Bird
  • Where the Game Grows: Venues, Markets and Global Strategy
  • The Re-Invention of Golf
  • The Next Generation of Content |Unlocking Immersive and Interactive Sports Content
  • Unconventional Thinkers – a think tank panel of Morey, Sue Bird, Jay Sugarman (Philadelphia Union) and Nate Silver, moderated by Boston’s own Jackie MacMullan.
  • Innovation in Sports Leagues with Jessica Berman (Commissioner of NWSL) and Valerie Camillo (Chair of WTA), with Contessa Brewer, CNBC
  • A 1-on-1 with MLS Commissioner Don Garber, speaking with Jessica Gelman
  • Men in Blazers and the EPL
  • The Future of Hockey – Engineering the Next Era of Growth, with Bill Daly (NHL Deputy Commissioner), Warren Zola, Exec Director, BC’s Chief Executive Club, Marty Walsh, Executive Director of the NHL Players Association and Meghan Chayka, Co-Founder and CEO of Stathletes
  • Hot Takes: Celebrating 20 Years of SSAC
  • And, a Pablo Torre Finds Out Podcast, Live from the SSAC

Among many, many other interesting panels, break-outs, competitive research paper reviews and presentations.

It’s all packed into two fun-filled days at the Seaport Convention Center, a small gathering of your 2,500 best friends.

Personal Note: I’ve enjoyed the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics conference from its second year on. Coincidentally, the first year, I was asked to speak at Boston University’s sports management symposium which was held at the same time with the nightcap being my first “Hot Stove, Cool Music” concert at The Paradise.

(Where’s Eli “Paperboy” Reed when you need him)?

Two quick take-aways:

  1. Over the years, I’ve met so many smart and interesting people both within and out of the sports industry. The wide-ranging knowledge brought to sports is simply amazing, often ground-breaking and sometimes, just not enough to crack the big time.
  2. The Conference has grown so much that it’s become difficult to meet-up with colleagues, all being pulled in different directions for different panel discussions and topics. At first, I stayed in the “basketball lane,” but in recent years, it’s been more of a deep dive into everything else. … Think of it: Sports Gambling in the USA was just the “concept of a plan” when we first sat down at MIT Sloan. Now?

There will be more to come – depending on what merits coverage – with columns on Digital Sports Desk or maybe this week’s edition of TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook (available on Substack).

Women’s Sports Doesn’t Need More Moments, It Needs IX to Five

by

NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Horizon Sports & Experiences, a sports marketing, media and live experiences agency, and TOGETHXR, the popular women’s sports media company, recently announced IX to Five – a game-changing joint venture built to supercharge the business of women’s sports. IX to Five will focus on creating, developing, and commercializing  women’s sports content through premium storytelling, unique intellectual properties, signature live experiences, and high-value brand partnerships.

The joint venture launches with an initial content slate of programming featuring fan-favorite talent: the StudBudz, professional basketball players Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, and Lily Shimbashi, founder of Sportsish, known for her fresh perspectives on sports and pop culture.

The collaboration harnesses TOGETHXR’s powerful storytelling engine, deep athlete relationships, and built‑in multi‑platform audience, combined with HS&E’s expertise in IP development, sponsorship and media rights consulting, and experiential marketing to unlock long‑term value for brands, athletes, creators and fans alike.

IX to Five launches at a key inflection point as the industry experiences unprecedented growth across viewership, valuations, and fan and brand engagement. Created in response to a clear and growing demand for authentic and engaging women’s sports content, IX to Five signals a commitment to build an always-on ecosystem that extends beyond content or one-off-activations into scalable platforms and enduring cultural properties.

“Women’s sports is a high-growth, big ROI business,”  said David Levy, co‑CEO and Founder of Horizon Sports & Experiences. “IX to Five was born out of the industry’s need for infrastructure and a year-round strategy to turn unprecedented momentum into sustained media and commercial impact. We are creating a scalable platform which complements HS&E’s premium programming, for brands to invest in a more meaningful, authentic way.”

“Women’s sports doesn’t need more moments — it needs infrastructure that turns momentum into careers, culture, and commerce,” said Nancy Dubuc, Executive Chair of TOGETHXR. “TOGETHXR has helped move the space from ‘after hours’ attention to “always-on” storytelling, and this partnership with Horizon Sports & Experiences accelerates that shift — building a platform where athletes, creators, and brands grow together year-round.”

Game Changers in Pro Futbol Biz

by

SEATTLE – (Staff Report from Official Company News Release) – Arkero, a new platform using Artificial Intelligence to effectively run the day-to-day operations of complex organizations in sport, recently announced a $6 million pre-seed funding round, and partnerships with professional sports organizations in the MLS, NWSL in the United States, along with users in the English Football League.

Embed from Getty Images

The investment was led by Roger Ehrenberg at Game Changers Ventures, with participation from Alexis Ohanian (776), David Tisch (BoxGroup), Garuda Ventures, Founders’ Co-op and strategic investors including Adrian Hanauer of the Seattle Sounders and Seattle Reign.

Arkero’s first partners include the Seattle Sounders, Seattle Reign, San Diego FC and Bolton Wanderers FC. Initial deployments focus on integrating AI into match day planning and season ticket renewals to help teams streamline coordination, reduce manual work, and operate with greater clarity across disconnected tools.

In early deployments, the Sounders and Reign project over 50% improvement in efficiency savings around matchday planning in 2026 alone, driven by reduced manual work, faster decision-making, and fewer operational errors.

Arkero centralizes operational data, workflows, and decisions into a single system, allowing business teams to plan, execute, and adapt in real time – without adding headcount or new layers of complexity. Because it is being built by operators who have run clubs themselves, Arkero reflects the realities of sports businesses: small teams, complex events, constant deadlines, and no margin for error. As a result, teams gain back time, clarity, and confidence – and can focus on growing the business rather than managing around broken processes.

“I own a football club. I’ve sat in the meetings, lived the chaos, and felt the cost of running a business on Excel and email,” said Shivaas Gulati, CEO of Arkero,“ The opportunity exists because this is broken from the inside.”

After leaving Remitly, the $8 billion IPO company he co-founded in 2022, Gulati joined the ownership group of English club Southend United FC, a 119-year-old club competing in the National League. Drawing on his hands-on experience from Southend United – and advising organizations such as the Seattle Sounders – Gulati has applied the operational discipline and best practices developed at Remitly to the global sports industry, a market exceeding $500 billion annually.

“On and off the pitch, our business is about constantly looking ahead to identify what we can do better and how we can use technology and the right partners to gain a competitive edge,” said Sounders FC majority owner Adrian Hanauer. “Our investment in Arkero is aligned with this approach, accounting for not just where we are as an organization today, but where we need to be going forward.”

“We made intentional decisions to prioritize how our teams could be optimized through AI,”said Hugh Weber, President and Chief Business Officer of Sounders FC. “Partnering with Shivaas and the Arkero team allowed us to embed AI into our operating system rather than layering on software which has made the technology a durable part of our culture.”

““We look for companies that have a clear grasp of where both sports and business are headed, near term and long term,” said Roger Ehrenberg of Game Changers Ventures. “While many are still debating how AI fits into real business solutions, Arkero is delivering tangible results. They’ve already demonstrated real impact with partners like the Sounders and the Reign, and we’re proud to support them as they scale.”

TGL II Back on Schedule

by

PALM BEACH GARDENS – (Wire Service Report) – The second season of TGL will begin Sunday, Dec. 28, with a rematch of the inaugural championship series.

Embed from Getty Images

The simulator golf league co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy announced Monday that the defending champions Atlanta Drive GC and the New York Golf Club will face off in the season-opening match. It will be played at 3 p.m. ET and be broadcast on ABC while competitors CBS and Fox carry Week 17 NFL games.

Atlanta Drive GC feature Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel and Lucas Glover. New York’s team is made up of Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler, Cameron Young and Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick.

Atlanta swept New York in the best-of-three championship series last March to wrap up the first season of the league, which plays 15-hole matches in a purpose-built arena in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

TGL announced that the full schedule will be published in September. The TGL season will run through March.

–Field Level Media

White Named to NFL Players’ Post

by

NEW YORK – (Wire Service Report) – Less than three weeks after NFL Players Association executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. resigned amid numerous allegations of impropriety, the union elected David White as it interim executive director.

Embed from Getty Images

White is the chief executive officer of consulting firm 3CG Ventures and the former national executive director and chief negotiator of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA). He was a finalist for the NFLPA post when a the board of 32 player representatives elected Howell in June 2023, according to multiple media reports.

NFLPA president Jalen Reeves-Maybin said in a statement regarding the move by the Board of Player Representatives to appoint White, “This decision is the result of a comprehensive, player-led process. We understood the urgency to fill this role and did our due diligence to identify the right person to lead our union in this moment.

“We have full faith in David to take the union forward and operate in the best interests of our membership. David has spent much of his career fighting for collectively bargained rights in the labor movement and is committed to putting players first in all the union does. We are confident that he will inspire solidarity and provide the necessary stability during this period of transition.”

White added in a statement, “I am grateful to the NFLPA’s player leadership for entrusting me with the privilege and responsibility to guide their union as interim executive director. It’s a duty I do not take lightly, and I’m committed to reestablishing trust and ensuring the union is serving its members best. I look forward to working with the entire NFLPA team to protect players’ health and safety, secure their financial well-being, and further strengthen their voice to shape their futures.”

Howell stepped down on July 17 to no longer be a “distraction” for the NFLPA. During his tenure, he allegedly reached a confidentiality agreement with the NFL over a collusion case, worked for a private equity firm approved to pursue NFL minority ownership stakes and made inappropriate charges to the union, include a strip club visit.

Pogacar Wins Shortened Tour de France

by

PARIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia claimed his second straight and fourth career Tour de France championship on Sunday in rain-soaked Paris.

Pogacar, who also won in 2020 and 2021, became the sixth man to win the world’s most prestigious cycling competition at least four times.

Embed from Getty Images

The 26-year-old joined France’s Jacques Anquetil (five) and Bernard Hinault (five), Belgium’s Eddy Merckx (five), Spain’s Miguel Indurain (five) and Britain’s Chris Froome (four).

Pogacar finished four minutes and 24 seconds ahead of rival Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark, the race winner in 2022 and 2023. Germany’s Florian Lipowitz was third, 11 minutes behind.

Belgium’s Wout Van Aert was the first across the Stage 21 finish line in the French capital, collecting his 10th career stage win in the Tour de France.

Due to hazardous conditions and the threat of crashes on the slippery streets, race organizers announced about 50 kilometers into Sunday’s 132.3-kilometer trek from Nantua that all times would be frozen with 50 kilometers to go.

The change all but guaranteed victory for Pogacar, although he still had to finish the race to be declared the winner.

–Field Level Media

Globetrotters to Conduct Open Tryout

by

HARLEM – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The world-famous Harlem Globetrotters will be hosting the club’s first-ever open tryouts to help select athletes for their Centennial season in 2026.

The Globetrotters’ tryouts will take place in the early fall with the final team being assembled and announced in November. The organization’s goal is to expand and elevate the talent within its ranks and to act as competitive offering for men and women hoopers around the globe for 2026

The Globetrotters continue to add athletic team members, which has been reflected in recent years in the signing of former LSU captain Alexis Morris and this past year with the addition of 6-5 rookie forward Asanti “Cash” Price (Columbia, SC), who signed a contract with the NBA G League’s Texas Legends, the affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks. Price was one of six rookies signed to the Globetrotters this past November and had the option to return to the club when his G League time ended, which he did.

“We are creating one of the most unique, once in a lifetime opportunities for talented athletes and entertainers,” said Keith Dawkins, President, Harlem Globetrotters & Herschend Entertainment Studios. “The (opportunity is) to be part of the Centennial of the most iconic global sports and entertainment property.  The right athletes will have that special element of ‘showpersonship’ that the Globetrotters have been known for. It should make for a fun and exciting way to uncover our next group of stars.”

This past year Globetrotter athletes set a new and high bar for excellence on and off the court, bringing their talents to 50 locations around the world and an additional 46 cities in North America.  The Globetrotters anticipate bringing in approximately 30 athletes to the tryout. It will be the first step of a months-long process in selecting the athletes for the Centennial team.

Over the many years, the Globetrotters legacy has seen athletes ranging from Wilt Chamberlain to Connie Hawkins to to Lynette Woodward create lasting memories in the basketball world.

Sports Biz: Mets Pop-Up

by

Guest Column, by JAMES GUMINA

This past weekend, I attended the Strat-O-Matic event at the Mets House in New York to cover one of the final events at the Mets’ Union Square pop-up shop. The event, taking place in a city dominated by Fanatics Fest, was a wonderful reminder that sports are all about communities.

Embed from Getty Images

Fanatics Fest, and events like it, are driven by impressions, revenue, and spectacle, whereas the Strat-O-Matic event at the New York Mets store was purely a celebration of the game and its fans. I was there for about an hour and a half and did not have a single item pushed on me. I played Strat-O-Matic for the first time in years against a longtime fan and player (He very generously reminded me of the rules).

Our game took a backseat to our conversation about his experiences playing the game, and his love for it over the years. He told me all about the 12-person Strat-O-Matic league he has played in for the past 30 years, complete with full seasons and championship rings (which did not look dissimilar to the NFL rings that I saw at Fanatics Fest).

I happily watched him give Hal Richman, the founder of Strat-O-Matic, an honorary championship ring and tell him about the impact the game had on his life. I heard another avid player talk about his father introducing him to the game back in the 1960s and how he has been hooked ever since, so much so that he owns every single MLB set that has been released by the company.

While the setup was not fancy—a few folding tables in the back of the store, game boxes for people to take and use, and some pizza—it did not deter new and old fans of the game from swapping stories and playing head to head versus one another.

I got to meet both Hal and his son, who is the current CEO of Strat-O-Matic, and it immediately became clear to me that this type of event was perfectly in line with the SOM ethos. It is a game all about a shared love of sports and for well over 60 years has been bringing people together in communities just like this one, from local Strat-O-Matic clubs, to leagues, to friendly living room games.

In addition to the game and event, the venue was also an interesting branding initiative by the New York Mets.

The pop-up, which closed June 25th, was one of the regularly scheduled NYM special events, like player meet-and-greets and book signings, as well as regular merchandise sales. The space offered exclusive perks and benefits for fans, as well as interactive exhibitions like an augmented reality swing analysis station that many of the Strat-O-Matic players took advantage of.

While always designed to be a temporary “pop-up,” I really admired the space and thought that it was a great community-oriented brand activation that allowed for events like the Strat-O-Matic day for fans of all ages.

The Mets have been doing a lot right in the marketing department recently, and I think this was no exception.